Promising 8% cashback on dining, shopping, and entertainment, the HSBC Live+ Card is sure to turn heads. Here’s our review.
If you’re looking for a cashback credit card that offers generous cashback for shopping, entertainment, and dining, the HSBC Live+ Card should be on your radar.
It offers a generous cashback rate of 8% on dining, entertainment, and shopping (till 31 December 2024). But that’s not all, you’ll also earn 5% cashback on petrol (Caltex and Shell) spends, and 0.3% cashback on all other spends.
But are there caveats to this 8% cashback? Read on to find out.
Table of contents
- HSBC Live+ Card: overview
- Pros and cons of the HSBC Live+ Card
- How the HSBC Live+ Card works
- HSBC Live+ Card: eligible merchants and categories
- Live+ perks and privileges
- Eligibility, fees & charges
- How to apply for the HSBC Live+ Card?
- Should you get the HSBC Live+ Card?
⭐HSBC CC Lucky Draw⭐: Apply for an HSBC Credit Card and get the chance to win a Mercedes-Benz EQB or 86,000 KrisFlyer miles (enough for a round-trip economy class ticket to Paris). Get up to 30+ chances to win when you apply for HSBC Credit Cards and spend a minimum of S$500. Valid till 23 September 2024. T&Cs apply.
SingSaver Exclusive Offer: Enjoy the following rewards when you sign up for an HSBC Live+ Credit Card:
Receive a FLUJO SmartTrax Standing Desk (worth S$699) or a Dyson AM07 (worth S$459) or a Sony WF-1000XM5 (worth S$429) or S$300 eVoucher (Redeem from Merchants such as Shopee, Grab) upon activating and spending min. S$500 by end of the following calendar month from the card account opening date and providing marketing consent. Valid till 21 July 2024. T&Cs apply.
Get up to S$900 worth of vouchers and cashback with Live+:
- S$300 eVoucher when you sign up with SingSaver
- S$100 cashback from HSBC when you charge 1 qualifying transaction (T&Cs)
- up to S$500 cashback from Live+ Card over 6 months (based on 8% cashback capped at S$250 per quarter)
⬆️Rewards Upgrade Campaign⬆️: Upgrade your rewards when you top up S$200 to get a Sony Portable Theatre System HT-AX7 (worth $$769). Alternatively, top up S$588 for a Sony ZV-1M2 Vlog Camera (worth $1,209) or top up S$1,099 for an Apple iPhone 15 Pro 128GB (worth S$1,664.25). Valid till 21 July 2024. T&Cs apply.
HSBC Live+ Card: overview
- Dining, shopping, and entertainment cashback: 8% (5% base cashback + 3% bonus cashback, until 31 December 2024)
- Petrol cashback (Shell and Caltex): 5%
- All other spends: 0.3%
- Min. monthly spend: S$600
- Cashback cap: S$250 per quarter
- Annual fees: S$196.20 (first year waived)
- Min. age: 21 years old
- Min. annual income requirement: S$30,000 for Singaporeans and Singapore PRs, S$40,000 for self-employed or commission-based Singaporeans or Singapore PRs, S$40,000 for foreigners
HSBC Live+ Card: Pros & cons
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Pros ✅
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Cons ❌
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Generous 8% cashback on shopping, dining, and entertainment spends (until 31 December 2024)
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Monthly minimum spend of S$600 per month in a calendar quarter
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5% cashback on Shell and Caltex
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Cashback will only be credited within two months after the end of each quarter
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Shopping, entertainment, and dining categories are available for both online and offline transactions
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0.3% cashback if monthly minimum spend is not met
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High cashback cap of S$250 per calendar quarter
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Must spend more than S$12,500 per year to qualify for annual fee waiver |
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Conditional annual fee waiver
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How the HSBC Live+ Card works
The HSBC Live+ Card has a quarterly cashback mechanic, similar to credit cards like the UOB One Card and Maybank Platinum Visa Card.
It offers 5% base cashback on eligible dining, entertainment, and shopping transactions. However, from now till 31 December 2024, you can get an additional 3% bonus cashback on these categories, or up to 8% cashback.
In addition, you’ll earn 5% cashback on Caltex and Shell service stations in Singapore, and 0.3% cashback on all other eligible transactions.
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Regular cashback
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Bonus cashback (till 31 December 2024)
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Dining, shopping, and entertainment
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5%
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3%
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Petrol (Caltex and Shell)
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5%
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-
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All other spends
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0.3%
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-
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But as previously mentioned, you’ll need to spend at least S$600 per month in a calendar quarter. Otherwise, the cashback rate drops to 0.3%.
To maximise the quarterly cashback cap of S$250 per calendar quarter, you'll need a total spend of around S$3,125 in a quarter or S$1,042 per month.
Another thing to note is that the HSBC Live+ Credit Card's cashback is computed on the posting date of the transaction and not the transaction date itself.
For instance, suppose you made a transaction on 29 June but the transaction was only posted on 3 July. The transaction will be counted in July’s minimum spend and a new quarter cap (since July is in Q3).
Here's a table to better illustrate:
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Quarter
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Qualifying period per quarter
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1st quarter
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1 Jan - 31 Mar, both dates inclusive
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2nd quarter
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1 Apr - 30 Jun, both dates inclusive
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3rd quarter
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1 Jul - 30 Sep, both dates inclusive
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4th quarter
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1 Oct - 31 Dec, both dates inclusive
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Also, unlike most cashback credit cards, where the cashback is credited to offset your next month’s bill, the HSBC Live+ Card cashback programme works differently — you’ll only receive the cashback within two months after the end of each calendar quarter. This means, technically, you could be waiting up to five months to receive your cashback.
But what if my card is issued/approved in the middle of a calendar quarter?
You might be wondering: since the HSBC Live+ Credit Card’s cashback system follows a calendar quarter, what happens if you sign up for the HSBC Live+ Credit Card in June, for example, when two months have passed? Does it mean you must sign up for the card at the start of every calendar quarter?
Thankfully, HSBC offers an exception in your first quarter; all you need to do is to spend a minimum of S$1,000 in that quarter, and you can earn 8% cashback (shopping, dining, entertainment) or 5% cashback (Caltex and Shell). In other words, you don't have to spend S$600 per month in your first quarter to be eligible for maximum cashback.
While you’ll still receive the cashback two months after the quarter ends, earning maximum cashback is more manageable as long as you spend at least S$1,000 in that quarter, regardless of the month. This can work in your favour if you have a big-ticket purchase coming up, as you can essentially spend it one month and ignore the rest of the remaining months of the quarter.
HSBC Live+ Card: Eligible merchants and categories
Dining
Dining merchants include caterers, restaurants, fast food outlets, and bakeries, both online and offline (but excluding hotel dining).
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Merchant Category Codes (MCC)
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Examples
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5811, 5812, 5462, 5814
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Crystal Jade, Jumbo Seafood, Burger King, McDonald’s, Bread Talk, Four Leaves, KFC, Subway, Haidilao Hot Pot
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Shopping
Shopping merchants include online marketplaces, duty-free stores, discount stores, department stores, shoe stores, sporting goods stores, and more. These include both online and offline transactions.
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Merchant Category Codes (MCC)
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Examples
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5262, 5309, 5310, 5311, 5331,5611, 5621, 5631, 5641, 5651, 5655, 5661, 5691, 5699, 5941, 5948
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KrisShop, Adidas, Nike, Decathlon, ASOS, Zalora, Cotton On Kids, American Tourister, Samsonite, Muji, Uniqlo
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Entertainment
Entertainment merchants include cables, satellite, and streaming services; record stores; digital goods; and motion picture theatres (eligible online and offline transactions).
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Merchant Category Codes (MCC)
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Examples
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4899, 5735, 5815, 7832
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Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+, HBO Go, Spotify, Golden Village, Shaw Theatres, Cathay Cineplexes, iTunes
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Petrol
Petrol transactions include only Caltex and Shell service stations in Singapore. These are coded MCC 5541 or 5542.
Live+ perks and privileges
Besides cashback, the HSBC Live+ Credit Card offers additional dining, shopping, and entertainment discounts. Here’s a brief overview:
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Dining
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15% discounts at over 200 restaurants in Asia via the Live+ Dining Programme
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Shopping
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Up to 20% discounts in-store and online. See the full list here.
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Entertainment
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Golden Village: S$2 off per movie ticket (online, iGV app, or automated ticketing machines)
HSBC Movie Card discounts |
⭐HSBC CC Lucky Draw⭐: Apply for an HSBC Credit Card and get the chance to win a Mercedes-Benz EQB or 86,000 KrisFlyer miles (enough for a round-trip economy class ticket to Paris). Get up to 30+ chances to win when you apply for HSBC Credit Cards and spend a minimum of S$500. Valid till 23 September 2024. T&Cs apply.
SingSaver Exclusive Offer: Enjoy the following rewards when you sign up for an HSBC Live+ Credit Card:
Receive a FLUJO SmartTrax Standing Desk (worth S$699) or a Dyson AM07 (worth S$459) or a Sony WF-1000XM5 (worth S$429) or S$300 eVoucher (Redeem from Merchants such as Shopee, Grab) upon activating and spending min. S$500 by end of the following calendar month from the card account opening date and providing marketing consent. Valid till 21 July 2024. T&Cs apply.
Get up to S$900 worth of vouchers and cashback with Live+:
- S$300 eVoucher when you sign up with SingSaver
- S$100 cashback from HSBC when you charge 1 qualifying transaction (T&Cs)
- up to S$500 cashback from Live+ Card over 6 months (based on 8% cashback capped at S$250 per quarter)
⬆️Rewards Upgrade Campaign⬆️: Upgrade your rewards when you top up S$200 to get a Sony Portable Theatre System HT-AX7 (worth $$769). Alternatively, top up S$588 for a Sony ZV-1M2 Vlog Camera (worth $1,209) or top up S$1,099 for an Apple iPhone 15 Pro 128GB (worth S$1,664.25). Valid till 21 July 2024. T&Cs apply.
What charges or fees should you look out for?
- Annual fee: S$196.20
- Late payment fee: S$100
- Minimum monthly payment: S$50 or 100% of monthly instalment amount (if any) and 100% of any interest, late fees, annual credit card fees, and overlimit fees; 1% of remaining outstanding balance, plus excess amount above credit limit also applies
- Overlimit fee: S$40
- Cash advance fee: 8% of amount withdrawn or S$15, whichever is greater
- Interest on purchases: 27.8% p.a. compounded daily from date of transaction until amount is fully paid. A fixed S$2.50 minium charge will also apply.
- Interest on cash advance: 28.5% p.a. compounded daily from date of transaction until amount is fully paid.
- Foreign currency transaction fee: 3.25%
- Dynamic currency conversion (DCC) fee: 1%
How to apply for the HSBC Live+ Card?
Click on the ‘Apply Now’ button on this page and complete the application on HSBC’s site. You can apply using MyInfo via Singpass to have your details pre-filled and get instant approval. Otherwise, you may need to provide ID and income documents.
For Singaporeans/PRs
Source: HSBC
For foreigners
Source: HSBC
Should you get the HSBC Live+ Card?
The HSBC Live+ Credit Card promises a generous cashback rate of 8% on shopping, dining, and entertainment transactions, provided that you can spend a minimum of S$600 per month in any calendar quarter. In exchange, you can receive up to S$250 cashback in a quarter.
However, remember that cashback is only credited within two months after each calendar quarter, so you could wait up to five months to receive it.
⭐HSBC CC Lucky Draw⭐: Apply for an HSBC Credit Card and get the chance to win a Mercedes-Benz EQB or 86,000 KrisFlyer miles (enough for a round-trip economy class ticket to Paris). Get up to 30+ chances to win when you apply for HSBC Credit Cards and spend a minimum of S$500. Valid till 23 September 2024. T&Cs apply.
SingSaver Exclusive Offer: Enjoy the following rewards when you sign up for an HSBC Live+ Credit Card:
Receive a FLUJO SmartTrax Standing Desk (worth S$699) or a Dyson AM07 (worth S$459) or a Sony WF-1000XM5 (worth S$429) or S$300 eVoucher (Redeem from Merchants such as Shopee, Grab) upon activating and spending min. S$500 by end of the following calendar month from the card account opening date and providing marketing consent. Valid till 21 July 2024. T&Cs apply.
Get up to S$900 worth of vouchers and cashback with Live+:
- S$300 eVoucher when you sign up with SingSaver
- S$100 cashback from HSBC when you charge 1 qualifying transaction (T&Cs)
- up to S$500 cashback from Live+ Card over 6 months (based on 8% cashback capped at S$250 per quarter)
⬆️Rewards Upgrade Campaign⬆️: Upgrade your rewards when you top up S$200 to get a Sony Portable Theatre System HT-AX7 (worth $$769). Alternatively, top up S$588 for a Sony ZV-1M2 Vlog Camera (worth $1,209) or top up S$1,099 for an Apple iPhone 15 Pro 128GB (worth S$1,664.25). Valid till 21 July 2024. T&Cs apply.
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